Fresh faces of Israeli soldiers on social media remind us of who's really at stake

NaN:aN

IMAGES on social media of young, attractive men and women could depict a generation on their way to schoolies. Instead they're fighting in a war.

If not for the khakis and the machine guns you'd be forgiven for thinking these guys and girls are on holiday, or even school camp.

The recent spate of happy snaps posted to social networking sites has shocked the world as we hear ever-escalating reports of violence and destruction on the Gaza strip.

Images of smiling youths holding machine guns with captions such as "We're coming for you Gaza" highlight not only the destruction of civilian lives but also the lives of young soldiers who are forced to partake in violence.

Its easy to forget that it's these same youths that are locked in a deadly battle with Hamas in one of the most populated patches of land in the world.

Using the hashtag #IDF soldiers post and share their snaps across social networking sites around the world.

Military service is mandatory for all Israeli citizens over the age of 18, men serving three years and women two.

The smiling demeanors of these fresh-faced youths is a far cry from reports of infant casualties from the escalating violence between the warring countries of Israel and Palestine.